Author: bookscupsandcandles

Hi my lovely peeps. I have another book review for you, I’ve just closed the final page on this Stella read, and I’m now struggling to focus on anything else. I feel a huge book hangover coming on, one that I really wasn’t expecting! Here is the official synopsis:

From the author of national bestseller The Book of Speculation, a poignant, fantastical novel about the electric combination of ambition and wonder that keeps us reaching toward the heavens.

Eleven-year-old Nedda Papas is obsessed with becoming an astronaut. In 1986 in Easter, a small Florida Space Coast town, her dreams seem almost within reach–if she can just grow up fast enough. Theo, the scientist father she idolizes, is consumed by his own obsessions. Laid off from his job at NASA and still reeling from the loss of Nedda’s newborn brother several years before, Theo turns to the dangerous dream of extending his living daughter’s childhood just a little longer. The result is an invention that alters the fabric of time.

Amidst the chaos that erupts, Nedda must confront her father and his secrets, the ramifications of which will irrevocably change her life, her community, and the entire world. But she finds an unexpected ally in Betheen, the mother she’s never quite understood, who surprises Nedda by seeing her more clearly than anyone else. Decades later, Nedda has achieved her long-held dream, and as she floats in antigravity, far from earth, she and her crewmates face a serious crisis. Nedda may hold the key to the solution, if she can come to terms with her past and the future that awaits her.

Light from Other Stars is about fathers and daughters, women and the forces that hold them back, and the cost of meaningful work. It questions how our lives have changed, what progress looks like, and what it really means to sacrifice for the greater good.

I was luckily enough to be sent an advance reader copy of this book from the lovely folks at Bloomsbury publishing, so while I had the house to myself yesterday, I picked it up and began to read…and finally closed the last page this afternoon. I couldn’t put it down.

I

always give you an honest review, so I need to admit right up front, that the opening pages didn’t grab me as I’d hoped they would. My problem is this: we are immediately thrown into a space mission that Nedda is on. We see that there are complications happening, and tension mounting, but as this is our first introduction to Nedda, we do not have an affinity with her yet, as she is an unknown quantity. So whatever is happening, the reader is initially one step removed. Similarly, the synopsis shows that being an astronaut is her life long dream, and within the first page, we see that she has achieved it. my first impressions suggested that there was not much more that I was going to learn.

However, I was wrong and I’m not too proud to admit it!

I did choose to read on, and I’m so pleased that I did, as what I discovered was a beautifully rich story which is both a multi-layered and potent tale of love in all it’s varied forms. Swyler’s writing is both lyrical and enchanting, as the story volley’s back and forth between Nedda’s childhood and her space mission, colliding eventually in a magnificent ending that took my breath away!

The genius of this book for me, is not the plot, but the characters growth and change -in most unexpected ways. The lesson is in their evolution, arising out of secrets from their pasts, and the revelations that later haunt them.

I love reading about flawed characters who act on good intentions. For example, Nedda’s father used to be a scientist for NASA until he was laid off. Now, when he is not teaching, he is locked in their basement, running experiments that he hopes will lead to an invention that will give his daughter more time with him. But of course, the paradox is that he is actually stealing from their time together, while he searches.

Her mother, Betheen, comes across as somewhat of a cold character, who also has little time for Nedda, as she throws herself into her baking obsession. However, during the course of the book, we learn the many reasons for this, and we begin to see much more depth in her character as time moves on.

And talking about time…

The book raises some questions: While we all wish that we had more time to spend together, would you really wish to make time stand still?

And is it better to look forward or back?

I’m giving this read four stars. It may have taken me a couple of chapters to warm up to it, but after that I was riveted. The story was anything but predictable. It flowed beautifully, had real emotional depth and a solid plot line; the lyrical writing was a joy to read.

I’ve so happy to have been sent this lovely book. I know there are so many hidden gems of books that I would never have discovered if I had stuck to reading only what I thought I would like ( Stephen King’s Dark Tower series being the latest case in point). This is where #bookstagram, #booktube and #bookblogs come into their own, right? Thanks to everyone sharing their reads, we can all find the key to worlds that we may never have found otherwise. I hope my review will entice you into this one too.

Light From Other Stars was published on May 7th 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing.

THE STORY WEB BY MEGAN FRAZER BLAKEMORE.

Once upon a time ….

…there was a story that stole my heart. It was a story that was filled with magic, mystery, and moral lessons that middle grade readers will love.

The story is set in the small town of Independence, Maine, where everybody knows everybody, and Alice Dingwell is discovering that this is not necessarily a good thing. It’s already tough enough growing up, without having everything falling apart around you too.

Alice feels invisible. Her former friends don’t want to hang around with her any more, she feels awkward around her best friend, Lewis, and nobody is talking about the bad thing that happened with her Dad.

Alice adores her Dad. She used to live for his stories, how he made the world feel like such a magical place, how he wove tales that entranced her. He made life bigger, brighter and more beautiful. But now he has gone away, and nobody wants to talk about what happened; least of all, Alice.

So Alice keeps her head down. She no longer wants to play Ice Hockey with the town team, even though she is a talented player. She’s too busy punishing herself for her Dad’s absence, even if it means hurting her best friend Lewis.

Lewis is confused. He has no idea why Alice has been cool with him. He blames himself. He thinks he could have been a better friend. But Lewis is patient and waits for Alice to figure out what she needs.

Melanie, is also invisible. The niece of the strange woman who lives in what is known as ‘The Bird House’ to the locals, Melanie has a hard time making friends. The town rumor is that her Aunt is a Witch, just because she keeps herself to herself. And so, Melanie has no friends, and instead, focuses on her love of animals.When Lewis begins to hang out with her, Melanie is happy but reticent.

When Alice was young, she wandered into the forest and found a huge spiderweb. Her Dad explained that only certain people could see this gigantic web, and he called it the Story Web, explaining that each of the strands on the web were stories that hold the fabric of our world together. If people stop telling stories, the web, and our world will fall apart.

Now, when forest animals begin to appear around the town, and most surprisingly, in front of Alice, she realizes that they are trying to tell her something.

Could it be that the story Web is in danger, and if so, is the world falling apart. Alice needs to figure out what she can do to stop this, and in the meantime, she also learns some important lessons about life, friendship and family.

This is a most heartwarming tale of love and loyalty, during those difficult years of transitioning into a teenager. Written with wit and whimsy, Blakemore weaves a beautiful tale that will keep your middle grader (and you) turning the page, long after it should be ‘lights out’

The Story Web will be published by Bloomsbury Books on June 4th 2019. Be sure to save the date!

Today, since I’ve just finished running one, I thought I’d talk about giveaways with you and share some details of how I organize mine. I’m always receiving DM’s in Instagram asking me questions about this, so I figured I’d write a post that hopefully will help some of you if you’re thinking of hosting one and don’t know where to start.

I have to say, I just LOVE running giveaways, and I am always on the lookout for fun bookish merchandise when I’m shopping . I pick up bits n’ bobs all the time, and squirrel them away ready for the next one.

I hosted my very first giveaway about six months after I started my Bookstagram account. I’d already been on Instagram for about five years with a personal account, so I knew my way around the site, but I was new to the whole Bookstagram corner. I hosted my first giveaway with the hope that the people who entered would find that they enjoyed my feed, and would stick around!

When you first start your account, it’s difficult to get new followers right away, and running a small giveaway is a fun way to direct people to your feed and have them notice you. Not everyone who follows you will stay, but it’s a super way to start making new friends. Fellow readers will follow for a chance to win, but will hopefully stay because they enjoy your feed and find they have common interests with you. My first giveaway only attracted about fifty entries, but it was exciting for me and I
made many new friends.

So, my first and most important piece of advice for you if you are considering hosting a giveaway of your own is to please only spend what you can afford. Please do not get yourself into debt by purchasing giveaway gifts that you will leave you broke. In fact you don’t even have to buy new. Many Bookstagrammer’s offer giveaways for books that they have recently read and want to pass on. This is a wonderful way to pay it forward!

If you are buying new, then I’d suggest that you try and buy things that are universally liked in the bookish world (hello Harry Potter) and/ or can be associated with your feed (if you want to get technical we can say ‘your personal brand’). My signature giveaway gifts started off as always including a book, a cup and a candle, to underline my instagram handle of @bookscupsandcandles . As time passed I started including extra goodies as I spotted them, and my giveaways have now grown to multiple choice ones as I try to find something for everyone. I love to make people happy!

I’m blessed to life right next to the ‘happiest place on earth’ -Disney, and also Universal studio’s here in Orlando. I’m also very aware that many people may never be lucky enough to visit these places, so I try to add something special and unique to my choices so that the winner can have a piece of Disney or Authentic Harry Potter gifts, for example. Likewise, I know how popular Funko Pops are, as
I’m a constant collector myself. I try to include an exclusive funko pop in most of my choices, so that the winner can have something extra special and rare in their prize pack.

I started offering multiple choices simply because I wanted to provide something special for everyone. It may be hard to believe but not everyone is a Harry Potter fan (only 99% of the bookstagram world is, lol). So I try to cover as many fandoms and age groups as I can.

Similarly, in my giveaways you may wonder why I ask you to repost the particular picture of your prize choice, on your grid. The reason I do this is not to lock you into a particular choice- you can always change your mind if you win- I actually do this to gauge for myself which fandom and prize pack will be the most popular. I want to see what you want. It gives me a sense of direction for future giveaways, so I know what to look for, what you guys really want to see offered in a giveaway. Because I do this, I now know for sure that I can never run a giveaway without including something for the Harry Potter fans. I think I’d be lynched if I didn’t include him!

So, you have your giveaway prize pack ready and you’re eager to begin it. WAIT! The first thing you need to do now is factor the shipping/ postage costs into your equation. First decide how much you can afford to pay for shipping. If your budget is around twenty dollars/pound etc, then keep it as a national giveaway. Shipping around the world is expensive. Before I start my giveaways I always make sure I have the shipping costs set aside. As a rule of thumb, when sending from the United States internationally, it costs between $70-$100 for a package if you’re sending books, mugs, candles. So always be sure you have the funds if you want to go international.

The way I send my prizes out these days is so much different to when I first started. I send the book part of the prize pack separately now and use Amazon global shipping to purchase it, and they send direct. This way I avoid the huge costs that are incurred with a heavy weight in my parcel, and also customs costs . Similarly, I’ll often send the cup/mug part of my prize pack seperately too. I buy them from either Society6 or Redbubble and they ship internationally free!

Finally, I then make up a cute prize box of the remaining items and send them off of their merry way to the lucky winner. In most cases the winner is thrilled to receive their prizes and are eager to share on a post of their own. I’ve only had one case where the winner didn’t seem to care. I’ll be honest, it broke my heart, They did not appear grateful at all and only eventually reposted a half hearted response after I asked them to. I do hope that my winners repost when they receive their gifts, because I want the other entrants to know that my giveaways are authentic. So many companies host giveaways and you never find out who won. I don’t trust those at all.

And besides, if you share a picture of your giveaway winnings, I’m going to repost it and that too will draw more people to your own feed. Win/win!

Drawing the giveaway is definitely my least favorite part of the process. I’m sure there are much quicker ways to do it, but I’m a creature of habit and I wait until the closing date and then I input the names into a word document. I start by going through the comments where people have tagged their friends. I ‘like’ the tag to show that I’ve seen it, and then I go onto their feed/grid to be sure that they are following me and that they have taken the time to repost the prize pack picture. When I see it, I ‘like’ it and we’re done. The entry is in and the picture can now be taken down.

Now let’s be honest, nobody really wants to repost any of the giveaway pictures on their beautiful feeds. But its a small ask. You can easily edit them to fit your feed. The way to look at it is that the host of the giveaway has spent a long time searching for the perfect items, paid for them out of their own pocket (in my case anyway) and has to ship them too. My philosophy with this is that: If you care, you share! We are helping each other after all.

I hope this post has helped you if you are thinking about hosting your own giveaway. I’m by no means suggesting that my methods are perfect- far from it, but I did want to highlight why I run them, how I choose what to offer, and how I count the entries.

As I said earlier, I LOVE hosting giveaways, its fun, its exciting and I really believe that it brings the community together a little. I can’t tell you how often I smile when I see you all tagging each other and getting excited about it. And YES, when people take the time to thank me along with the tag, it always warms my heart. xxxx

I’m determined to make this year the year that I take control of my health and fitness.

I know it’s a cliche, but for me this is a priority. Every day is a gift to me now, and I want to take advantage of every moment and squeeze as much joy out of it as I can!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

Did you get any new books?

I had a lovely Christmas. It was a quiet one with my husband and our boys this year. They’re getting older now so we don’t have all the preparation for santa’s visit, or the early mornings to contend with, so it was a lovely relaxing one, with no rush, no appointments, and no stress. Perfect!

Believe it or not, I didn’t open a single book for Christmas this year. My husband waited until the day after and then dropped me off at my favorite Barnes and Nobel store, and let me immerse myself in the luxury of being able to choose whatever I wanted. I bought a wide selection of both novels and inspirational reads, and I can’t wait to share them with you.

What’s your favorite book of 2018?

I had a fabulous reading year, and pretty much enjoyed every book that I read. So I thought that I’d share some of my favorite reads of the year with you today. I could do a countdown, but I just can’t wait. Lets just get straight to it. Drum roll….The most outstanding book of 2019 for me, was N0S4R2 by Joe Hill.

THAT BOOK! It was not only my favorite read of 2018, but it has even hit a high place on my all time top ten reads EVER! If you love a good horror story, go and pick it up. I don’t want to say too much about it, because I think it’s good to go in without a map. But lets just say that if you take a creepy old man who drives around in his antique car, abducting young children, and promising to take them to ‘Christmas land’; it’s going to be a book that you cannot put down.

This year I’ve made a special effort to pick up work from authors that are new to me. I don’t know about you, but I’m a creature of habit, and tend to stick with the same pool of authors that I’ve read for years. Thats the beauty of Bookstagram- I learn about different authors and new works that I may have otherwise overlooked in a book store.

One outstanding author that I turned to this year was Wilbur Smith. Growing up, he was my dad’s favorite author, and he bought Smith’s books as soon as they came out. There was no Instagram back then, and so I always thought they were ‘men’s’ books- aimed at a male audience. So I didn’t venture as far as picking one up back then.

however, a few weeks ago I was in a book store and I noticed the Wilbur Smith books winking at me from the shelf, so I picked one up out of nostalgia and curiosity. They’ve updated the covers and they’re just beautiful. Just holding the book set off many happy memories for me of my Dad, and I figured ‘why not?’

I decided to buy some, thinking of it as a wonderful way of connecting with him across time and space. I chose the Egyptian series since I love anything to do with ancient Egypt.

The first book was ‘River God‘ and was centered around the life of the slave Taita in ancient Egypt, and his relationships with his mistress and the Pharaoh. It is an epic story, that is made so much more interesting as it has so much fact woven in with the fiction. The second book ‘The Seventh Scroll ” jumps forward to more contemporary times, and to an expedition to find the lost treasures of the aforementioned Pharaoh and the slave Taita based on the story of the first book. Both books were fantastic reads with action and adventure along with great historical interest and lots of mystery and suspense woven in. I loved them. There’s actually six in the series and I am so excited to pick up book number three.

Smith has written so many books and so many series that I’m now really looking forward to reading. I hope you give him a try!

Anther notable author for me this last year was Grady Hendrix. He seems to have exploded onto the horror scene with a slew of amazing books. My first read of his was ‘ My Best Friend’s Exorcism‘, followed by ‘Horrorstor” and of course his non fiction catalog ‘Paperback’s From Hell‘. I am looking forward to reading ‘We Sold our Souls. Hendrix’s writing style is really unique in the genre. He manages to scare the bejeebas out of you and yet give you warm fuzzies at the same time. His work is part nostalgic, 1980′ s vibes, and part supernatural suspense. Whatever you want to call it, it works.

So, to highlight some of my best reads this year. Here are some of the others that I read this year and loved. I’ve tried to include lots of different genres here, so that there’s something that might take your eye:

I could go on and on, because I read so many superb books in 2018. If you want to see more, then just pop across to my Instagram feed which is linked on the right, and see if you agree with my thoughts on the books I have read.

Do you have any you want to recommend to me? drop me a comment, I’d love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful new year, stay safe. Remember to stick with a friend if you’re out partying. Male or female, you’re safer in a group.Charge up your phone, wrap up, and have fun!

A couple of posts ago, we discussed the dreaded new Instagram algorithm and the detrimental effects it has been suggested to have, towards small accounts. We talked about how Instagram has no immediate plans to reverse or change the algorithm, believing that it works better now ,and so we therefore considered some of the actions we could take to work with it rather than against it . (If you haven’t seen the post, just scroll down to find it.)

Today I’m back to talk some more about Bookstagram- our own little book nook where we readers can share our love of reading with each other, and pass on reviews and recommendations, whilst building friendships and joining in discussions with other book lovers. I specifically want to address another issue that’s been bothering me, and see if you think it affects you too.

I’m talking about the pressure to purchase and how easy it is to overspend.

How our pursuit for perfection in our daily posts, can create a pressure to constantly buy.

Buy more books, buy more book props, buy more book merchandise, basically: the pressure to spend, spend, spend!

Do you feel it?

I do. Or I did.

In the beginning, I really enjoyed just sharing my love of books with other people and I’d happily display my latest read, with very little adornment. Perhaps I’d just add a tray, with a cup of tea on it, and take my photograph. That was good, and if I got the lighting right, I was more than happy to share it.

Then I discovered some fabulous apps. I became slightly more creative, and could not only lighten dull pictures, but could add some pretty cute effects too. It was fun. It was easy, and I felt more like I belonged in the Bookstagram community and was less like a newbie.

I wanted to post great pictures, and for them to be creative and interesting. And it was great fun… to begin with. I loved trying to think of new ways of showcasing my current reads. I remember that at first I would add fresh flowers to my pictures, and I liked how colorful it made them. It was quite some time before I realized that I could buy faux flowers and use them again and again!

As my follower count slowly climbed up, and I became excited and wanted to make my feed as interesting as possible. I soon discovered all the lovely bookish merchandise, and thought that including more of those in my pictures, would make them more interesting and would please my followers.

It crept up on me slowly.

It began with candles. I was already quite the candle collector, with Yankee candles So initially, I would included those in my posts, and I was happy with the result for a while. But they weren’t bookish. Everywhere I looked there were candles being designed for every genre. So many beautiful ones. They looked amazing on people’s’ feeds. So I started ordering a few myself.

A few led to many, and many led to me subscribing to monthly candle subscription boxes, from just about every candle maker on IG! Oh they are all gorgeous, and I have never met a bookish candle that I didn’t like. I have nothing but respect for the wonderful small businesses that supply the scent’s to compliment our favorite book characters either. But did I really need twenty different Harry Potter themed candles? Are my fifteen Sarah J. Maas inspired character scents really necessary? for a long time, I truly believed with all my heart that they were.

Then I discovered bookish subscription boxes. Oh my goodness, how wonderful! I believe I tried every one. I intended to try each one once and then only subscribe to one or two that were the best. Hmmmm. That didn’t quite work out for me. If I missed a month, and then watched an unboxing, I was devastated. I’m talking total FOMO here. I eventually found myself subscribed to seven book boxes and at least three candle subscription boxes each month. And yet I wondered where my money was going. These babies are at least thirty bucks for each box!

One day it finally hit me. I was moving my little library from the small spare bedroom to the larger game room that we rarely used. Moving each book shelf, each book, each candle by myself, I couldn’t fail to see quite how much I’d collected. As I organized my new room, I set aside so many trinkets that I’d received in my subscription boxes, and the pile mounted and mounted, and I just didn’t know what to do with them.

Even worse, as I carried in so many opened (and then promptly forgotten) subscription boxes, with books I still had not read, that I realised that it was the thrill of receiving the boxes that I was addicted to , rather than the goods inside them!

That was not what I set out to do, but somehow I lost my way.

That was many months ago, and I now only buy what I truly want. I still enjoy watching unboxings, but I’m not about to rush off and purchase every single one that I like. I’ll limit myself and I’ve found that I appreciate what I do buy, much more.

I’m baring my soul for a good reason. I don’t want you to fall into the trap that I did. It happened so slowly that I was barely aware of it. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not blaming the stores for creating products that they know we ‘need’ I take total responsibility for my own purchasing: nobody held a gun to my head. I was more than happy to pull the trigger myself. I got lost in the thrill of the chase.What began as a way to make my feed more interesting, became a spending spree for the latest bookish product!

But I’m afraid that if it can happen to me, it can also happen to the teenager who hasn’t the finances to support the spending. It can also happen to person who has an important bill to pay, but who really wants that bookish product because it looks sooooo lovely. Choose wisely guys. Learn from my mistakes.

I know now that my friends and followers don’t care about the props that I use, they’re here for the books. They follow me because they share my love of books and want to discuss this mutual love with someone who ‘gets it’. My feed has evolved many times, over the last couple of years, and now I can honestly say that I am truly happy with what I share. I share what I love to read. It’s all about the books.

I’m really excited about this one,This time around, I decided to give you more choices of prize packs. There will still be one main winner and a handful of consolation prize winners, but you now have the choice of which one of three themed packages that you would prefer!

I know everybody always loves Harry Potter, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t? so I guess he’ll be included in almost all my giveaways, but I thought it would be nice to add a Bookish themed choice too, and also a Horror themed pack. That hopefully covers a larger proportion of my followers different tastes and will hopefully encourage more of you to join in. So here’s some more details:

The reason I chose the ‘Bookish’ themed pack is that I noticed that some of you live in places where it is quite difficult to find cute props for your #bookstagram habit. Here in the U.S. it seems that we have a ton of places to rummage around in and find crafty props for our photo’s, but in other countries, I’ve heard that it’s not always so easy.

So if you live somewhere where it is difficult to find faux flowers and shells etc, then perhaps you might like this themed pack the best. I’ve chosen as carefully as possible. You will see below that I have picked several faux long-stemmed flowers that can be placed as a lovely frame around your pictures. I’ve also added some scatter style packs of flowers in different colors that can be placed strategically too.

I picked up some beautiful butterfly props (and you will see that I’ve been using this type lots lately) and I’ve added some starfish props for any ocean themed pictures, for those of you who may not live near the water.

I’m also including a fun notebook and a cute sleep mask. Some of the items in my giveaway were exclusive to a particular subscription box, that are now sold out, but I’ve added them here and there, so hopefully you may see something that you missed out on!

Whichever package you choose, you will receive some battery operated string lights, which look gorgeous on pictures.

The second pack is a ‘Horror’ themed pack.

I’m including two freaky funko pops from the hit movie ‘It’, a fabulous ‘It’ themed mug (which I personally love) some horror themed pins/ badges and a patch.

The winner will also receive a copy of the latest Stephen King books.’The Body’ is a paperback and ‘The Outsider’ is hardback. Here’s the best bit; if you live in the U.S, I will include a U.K copy and if you live in the U.K I will send you a U.S copy! How amazing will that be?

I’ve included a ‘Decomposition notebook, some ‘hocus Locus’ themed items (bookmark and bracelet), an ouija board photo print and some fabulous witchy art cards by @Terrifoss . There’s a 10×8 horror print, and a bracelet which is unisex. If something else catches my eye, I’ll be adding it!

And that brings me to the Harry Potter option.

Included in this pack is an adorable Christmas themed HP mug by Nerdy girl designs (because it’s not that far off you know) A hardback anniversary copy of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone’ in the Slytheryn edition, with a paperback copy in Gryffindor house. A Gryffindor patch,

There’s also a wand book, some themed snitch earrings, some muggles socks and a Quidditch themed Ron Weasley funko pop. Even better, I’ve found a fabulous tree that looks just like the Whomping Willow!

And what about the book pouch, the badges, and the candles which were in the Christmas candle box from A Court of Candles. I’ve even included some notebooks. So much in this giveaway, whatever theme that you choose. I hope you love it.

So, here’s what you do. On Monday 11th June 2018 my giveaway will go live. Expect this to be around 12p.m EST or 9a.m PT. That’s 5p.m U.k time and 6p.m for France, Germany Etc.

All I need you to do is:

** like the post**

**Follow me**

**tag two friends who may be interested**

**repost the picture of your choice of themed pack on your main feed(swipe through the giveaway post pics for the pack of your choice) with the tag: #bookscupsandcandlesga

Closing date is midnight Florida time on Sunday 24th June 2018!

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES:

**Follow this blog**

**Like this post**

**leave a comment (and don’t forget to add your Instagram name) **

You can also gain extra entries for sharing the giveaway on your story. Each story share is an extra entry!

RULES:

**Must be a public account**

**no giveaway accounts**

**must be over 18 or have parental permission**

**not affiliated with Instagram**

**must leave repost picture up until closing date when you will see me ‘like’ your picture. This means it has been counted!**

Hi Bookworms!

Today I’m daring to dip my toes into some pretty dangerous waters- those of that touchy subject in the bookish community, namely the new algorithm and how it’s affecting us all on #bookstagram. In the next couple of weeks I’ll be talking about some of the highs and lows that we bookworms have experienced while feeding our addiction, and what we can do to keep our feeds relevant and entertaining.

In today’s post I want to focus on what we can do about the new algorithm that we all love to hate; and later I’ll be sharing a post on the subject of how the #bookstagram addiction can easily run away with you if you’re not careful. So pop the kettle on (if you’re British) or crack open a soda (if you’re not) and snuggle down in a pile of bookish pillows for a while because this is a long post.

So… The algorithm. I don’t want to just moan. There’s been so much of that already. I’ve been churning this over in my mind for some time now about how it is affecting us and how we can head it off, and I think I’ve now gathered enough information to feel confident to finally comment about it.

Like many people, my feed was hit hard after the introduction of the new algorithm, as my follower count and likes first began to drop, and then levelled out but became pretty stagnant. When reading through the posts of the people I love to follow, time and again the algorithm was cited as being the cause of this, and so many ‘instafriends’ felt like they no longer wished to be part of this fabulous community, because their posts were going unrewarded with the likes that they expected. I could see their point entirely. It sucked. After all their hard work to build up their feeds, it appeared that the rug had suddenly been pulled out from beneath them, and they had to start all over again.

Along with feeling a little despondent like many of you, from time to time; I wondered what I could be doing wrong, and how I could remedy it. If it’s broke you fix it right? So I sat and pondered, how best I could approach the issue. I’ve been reading many articles from other unhappy ‘grammers’, and interviews with the Instagram staff, and what I’ve gleaned from it all is that we are basically stuck with the algorithm as it stands. Instagram seems to think that it works and they’re not in any rush to change it back again.

So what can be done to work with this problem?

We need a solution.

It breaks my heart to see some of my favorite feeds comment that they’re stepping away from the site because they’re not getting the interaction and growth that they are working so hard for.

So I’ve been closely monitoring the feeds that I love to follow, and also those that have huge growth in spite of the new algorithm and I’ve picked up a few clues that could help us to do the same.

Firstly, the most obvious one is that the feeds that are making the best growth are those that are already well established, and have follower counts in the tens of thousands. Because they are already so well established, many of them feature lots of different product endorsements for companies that they may or may not love, and they in turn, are featured by those companies, which has a domino effect. Call it compounding. Unfortunately there’s not much we can do if we ourselves are late to the show, except to turn up everyday and keep trying. And of course we should continue to pat our friends on the back for the success that they have achieved with their tenacity. After all, a rising sea lifts all boats.

Secondly, we have the feeds that really pull out all the stops. Feeds that use photo shop and are extremely creative, are doing amazingly well. Flying books, miniature people in bottles, reading while hanging upside down from a tree, you name it! You have to applaud these guys.

These feeds are so impressive! I love to see these pictures and I eagerly await each new photo just to see how astounding it will be. In short, the bar is being raised higher and higher every day. I realize that unless I make an effort to understand my photo shop software, I’m never going to be able to keep up. These feeds deserve all the likes and follows that they gain, because they make such a huge effort to entertain us. Many, many hours of set up and editing are invested before they post such impressive content.

Now let’s look at another tool that the most successful feeds use: their Instagram stories. Every successful feed that I’ve researched, posts an Instagram story on a daily basis- many post several times per day. I don’t know about you, but I love to see these glimpses of people’s lives. What’s going on behind the scenes? The irony is that we don’t REALLY want the full picture, but a candied version of the poster’s life. At heart we all love nosing into other peoples windows at night.

You don’t have to make yourself vulnerable in order to do this. We don’t need you to share EVERYTHING. You can pick and choose, but definitely give us SOMETHING. For example, I usually choose to post videos on my story of my picture set ups. I do this so that my followers can see close up details of what’s in the picture, that may not be prominent in the post. I tag everything that I can think of, but I leave out what I know my followers don’t want to see- all the mess behind me. Let’s face it, we say we want to see behind the scenes, but really we just want to lift the curtain just a little. We don’t really want to see that pile of books and props that are strewn around you. For goodness sake don’t break the spell! You can protest but you know deep down that it’s true.

So, to sum up: Work harder, be more creative, and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Here’s a funny story: Yesterday I woke up with the most ridiculous thought- what if I posted about the book ‘Rumplestiltskin’ and photographed my messed up bed, with my hand holding the book, and captioned it : ‘Rumpled sheets Skin’ (oh my goodness, this obsession is really getting to me! ) I didn’t act on it, because after I’d woken up completely, I dismissed it with a laugh and got on with my day. THEN, later my instabuddy (the lovely @oasisgirlmd) posted a beautiful picture themed on the fairy tale of Rumplestiltskin, and I just HAD to tell her about my waking thoughts. She laughed too but thought I should definitely create the post. Maybe I should. Just to be ridiculous. Just to step out of my comfort zone and do something different. The truth is, do what you feel in your gut. It may work out, and if it doesn’t, then you can just hit that delete button.

I haven’t mentioned interaction yet. This is very important. To me, this is the best part of the community. I love the friendships that I have made through Instagram, and being able to share my love of the written word with likeminded people. My real life friends and family unfortunately don’t share my love of everything bookish, so I have to contain myself around them, and then fangirl with my bookstagram buddies.

New accounts especially need the love. We’ve all been there, so please get to know the newbies. Follow and comment and refer. Build each other up. We all started with a zero follower count and hoped that people would take a chance and follow us.

When scrolling through my feed each day (and sometimes several times per day- lets be honest) , I may have lots of time or my time may be limited. I ‘like’ the pictures and comment on as many as I can, enjoying being able to cozy up in my little world of books. Sometimes, I can only have time to post one word or a couple of emoji’s, but I’ve interacted and it means something. It’s impossible to see every new picture that is posted each day, but I try to see as many as possible. I scroll as many as I can, but when it’s time to leave and enter the real world, I try to like at least another ten pictures before I step away. Every little helps.

Lately (doing my research) I’ve been checking who likes my pictures. It’s usually the usual suspects, with one or two new ones in between. Thanks guys, you know who you are!!! But so many people follow and never like. Why is that? It confuses me. I’m personally very trigger happy. I suggest you look into your own feed and see who regularly makes and effort to show love and who doesn’t. It’s quite an eye opener.

Finally, and this is very important- acknowledge the comments. Please. You may not be able to answer everyone right away, but try. I’m just as guilty of giving late replies sometimes, when life gets busy; but I try to go through my feed later and respond to everyone. It’s my pet peeve when some of the accounts that I’ve been following for a couple of years and used to love, begin to grow and then stop replying to their followers. They post and ask a question but then never respond when we answer. They want the followers but not the work. Soon that will show in their numbers because nobody wants to be ignored. There’s two accounts that I follow that have become like this, and I have just stopped trying to interact with them, after making the effort for so long with no acknowledgement. I still love their content, but I know I’m wasting my time answering their questions because they won’t respond. It’s so sad.

So there you are. Lets just end this on a positive note, You absolutely CAN continue to gain likes and followers, but you need to switch things up a little sometimes and put some effort into not only your own account, but in the effort that you make towards those whom you follow.

To sum up. In short, we can complain about the algorithm as much as we want but it isn’t going to change anytime soon. So we need to suck it up and play our best game, because the field is full of talent and we need to push ourselves harder and give it our very best shot- otherwise we’ll be benched, and that’s no fun, is it?.

But guess what?… I have a giveaway running on my Instagram account. Have you entered it yet? You can win a ton of Harry Potter themed goodies, and it’s INTERNATIONAL!!! I’m also adding a few Harry Potter themed candle to give away at random afterwards to you if you stick around.

You know, up until a couple of days ago, I had only read the first and last book of the series. Shock, horror! So at the end of last year I made a promise to myself to read the whole series from start to finish. I just finished the last book and OH. MY. GOODNESS. I am in pieces! I’d heard that this series was an emotional rollercoaster, but I still wasn’t prepared for how many up’s and down’s there would be. But I am SO pleased that I read the books because the movies cut out so much stuff.

I mean, Ginny, for instance! In the movies you barely see her, but in the books she’s a fully formed character. And a couple of the Weasley older brothers are either cut out completely or have a cameo. Not cool! So you NEED to read the books to get the full picture.

I find it almost impossible to choose which book is my favorite. Once I think that I’m reading my favorite, then I pick up the next one and it changes again. Like magic! It’s probably easier to pick my least favorite. I think that would be ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’. I saw the movie and was so confused in many parts. It seemed to skip bits, (which of course was true, huge chunks were missing) yet I had no idea what it was skipping, because I hadn’t read the books. So when I finally got around to reading it, I was kind of spoiled. I wish they’d done a two parter like the last movie.

But now that I’ve finally read the series, all I want to do now is pick up the first book and start all over again! It was phenomenal !

So, to my giveaway…

You can win so many lovely Harry Potter themed goodies but you need to be quick. to enter, just pop over to my Instagram account and follow me. Then tag two friends who may be interested in winning too, and repost the giveaway picture with the tag: #bookscupsandcandles10K . Full details are on the post.

You could win:

* two anniversary edition house books in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

*a butter beer candle from @northavecandles

*a Ginny funky pop – the new design on a broomstick

*A book sleeve with in monster theme

*a pack of magnets for your fridge

*a Hufflepuff woolly scarf

A Syltheryn tie

*a demented repellant kit

*a Harry Potter badge/ pin

*Some Wizards brew Tea & candle from @acourtofcandles

And MORE!

And I’ve just posted my 100th post so I’ve also added a fabulous scarf!

Today I want to share with you my review of Heather Christie’s first book. I was lucky enough to be one of the chosen few, who were given a finished copy to read, in advance of publication, and I am so pleased that I was, as I really enjoyed it. Actually…

I have to say that I loved this book. Actually I more than loved it.

At first sight, it appears to be a sweet romance between high school sweethearts, and aimed at young adult readers. But this book is so much more. It has hidden depths. It is a beautiful ‘coming of age’ novel which draws you in from the very first page. It is the perfect blend of drama, suspense, and yes, romance. You’re gripping your seat one moment, whilst dissolving into puddles of emotion the next. Here is the book’s synopsis. I will give you mine below it.

Synopsis:

“Millington Valley is a quintessential small Pennsylvania town: families go back generations. Football rules. Kids drink while adults look the other way. High school is a whirlwind of aspiration and rivalry, friendship and jealousy.

When smart and pretty Molly Hanover moves to town and attracts the attention of the football team’s hero, Wade Thornton – a nice guy with a bad drinking habit, longtime friendships are threatened and a popular cheerleader tries to turn the school against Molly.

The young couple’s future is shattered when Wade, drunk, wrecks his truck and Molly is thrown through the windshield.

She wakes from a coma to find her beauty marred and her memory full of holes. As she struggles to heal, she becomes sure that something terrible happened before the accident. And there is somebody in the valley who doesn’t want her to remember.’

The book is written from multiple perspectives, as seen through the eyes of the main characters. This is expertly done, and allows the reader to fully experience the emotions of each character in the lead up to their worlds colliding.

Molly is a sweet only child. Her father died when she was a young girl, and her memories of him are bitter-sweet. She feels guilt as well as grief at his passing, because she blames herself somewhat for his death, for reasons that become clear later.

Ann is Molly’s mother. She is finally finding her feet after years of fighting to pay bills and keep out of debt, after her husband’s shock death left them almost destitute. Now Ann has an opportunity for a fresh start in a new town, with a super job offer as a paralegal and a beautiful rental home that seems almost too-good-to-be-true. It apparently is…

Wade is the popular kid, and high school football star. His life is a dream. He has a huge bunch of friends, he can take his pick of all the pretty girls, and his future football career seems settled. Wade gets everything he wants, and it comes easy. But he is not happy. A little drink now and again, helps to ‘take the edge off’ and it’s okay, because Wade is in control of it…until he isn’t. When Molly walks into his life, he suddenly feels that he has finally found ‘the one’, someone who loves him for himself and not for his achievements.

Unfortunately there are some people in town who want something from Ann and Molly that they just cannot give. These people have their own agenda’s and are hell-bent on getting what they want,to such a point that Ann and Molly’s lives are now in serious danger.

One night everything tragically changes, and Molly now has a huge decision to make.

If she reviled her secret, it’s going to cause so much pain to those she loves. If she doesn’t, then other people may be in danger. She meets up with Wade with the intention of sharing her burden, but before she has a chance, they are in a car accident, and Molly is in a coma….

I love seeing how Christie writes with such empathy, and draws the reader into the thought processes and feelings of her characters. I understood Molly, I understood Wade, and I understood Ann, and I could see all their differing points of view. The romance was so sweet and the mystery and intrigue kept me on tenterhooks while I stormed through the story.

I found myself constantly dipping in and out of the book through the day, while I was supposed to be busy doing other things, but I just HAD to find out what happened next. Luckily for me, the chapters were not too long, and I could pick up easily where I had left off. However, I wasn’t satisfied until I had turned the very last page!

I just love it when I find a book that grips me like this. I really can’t wait to read more from Heather Christie, and I will be first in line to buy the next book that she has published. A super read, I wholeheartedly recommend it!

What the Valley Knows will be published in January, but the author has a super preorder incentive campaign running right now. For more details, go HERE FOR DETAILS

I thought I’d pop up a Halloween post for you today, sharing some of my favorite reads, merchandise and other super treats, old and new.

Let me start by saying that I just LOVE Halloween; and in this house it comes second only to Christmas. We tend to decorate inside the house more than outside, but each year we add more decorations to our growing scary collection.

What we have discovered is that by being savvy (very strong willed) and only buying AFTER the holiday is over, we get some amazing deals on items that otherwise would be out of our budget. I mean how do you justify spending $200 on a statue that is good for just one day each year?

So by waiting until the day after, or even a couple of days we have snagged some great deals.

For example, look at these fabulous figures that we picked up last year from Home Depot. Our Hip Witch was originally just under $100 prior to the holiday. We got her for $29 two days later! Our butler, who has animatronics and whose eyes turn red and has spooky sounds started off at $129 then went down to $64 and then he was only $44.50 when we picked him up!

I have my eye on one for next year that I am praying doesn’t sell out.

And of course Halloween is the perfect time to pick up a good horror book to read. I am a great one for horror stories, and don’t need Halloween as an excuse to scare myself silly, but I do love to match my reads to the season, and I have some classic horrors and some super new Witch and magic themed books that I want to share with you today.

First up is by my favorite author Alice Hoffman. Alice wrote the amazing Practical Magic which was made into a cult movie starring Nicole Kidman & Sandra Bullock, way back in 1998.

Well Alice has come up with a prequel to Practical Magic, and it’s just as fabulous. This is a perfect read if you want a nice magical story and not horror.

For true horror lovers I would have to recommend the King. Yes, Stephen King. I’ve read just about every book he has ever written and loved every one, but those I recommend most for this holiday are: #drumroll … ‘Salems Lot’, ‘The Shining’ and ‘ Night Shift’. These are my favorite cover designs too. The glossy black covers are gorgeous. I hope they bring every book out with this cover design. I finally had to donate my original King paperbacks to charity as the pages had all begun to turn yellow- I didn’t have the heart to throw them away.

Of course the true icons of Halloween/ horror has to be Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Poe’s collected works. I love these particular copies, both by Barnes & Nobel

If you’re a #bookstagrammer then you can find some delicious scented candles from the lovely Amanda North Ave Candles easy store. Amanda has candles to match many books, including her most recent Merlot one which is the perfect companion while you are reading Dracula.

If you prefer a more contemporary Vampire and Witches story, I absolutely LOVE All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness I have the single editions and also this beautiful boxed set, which is currently $40

If you like the more adult Witch themed merchandise, then how about gifting this set along with some beautiful element candles from Unicorn Manor

There is ‘Earth,’ ‘Fire’, ‘Air’ and ‘Water’ along with the ‘Samhain’ one which I light most evenings. These are truly stunning to gaze at, and smell delicious. Perhaps you can cast a romance spell…

I’ve been collecting Terri’s art for more than a year now. She has hundreds of prints available in many sizes, and all priced perfectly. Terri also regularly has original art pieces in her store, such as the one’s above. But you have to keep checking as they sell out fast. I mean, as soon as she lists them. I snagged these gorgeous ones this year.

So what about some spooky Halloween reads for children? I guess the most obvious choice would be the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Jim Kay. Any of these three editions by Jim Kay are beautiful, and really bring the stories to life. I can’t wait to one day have the completed set.

And don’t forget that Amanda also has awesome Harry Potter candles too

If you already own every Harry Potter book, then the other children’s scary Halloween recommendations that I would strongly suggest, are any of the Goosebumps sets. They are scary fun but not too scary. I’m loving this limited edition vintage style tin of books. This would make a super present. It’s in my cart as we speak! Another by the same author is the Fear Street series by R.L Stine.

I love all the retro style covers.

Moving on to really scary books based on true stories.

I would suggest that The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty is a must read! I bought my copy as a scratch and dent from the Book Outlet, but I see they don’t have any left so you can find it HERE

And finally in books, I will recommend the only book that ever gave me real actually nightmares for two nights in a row (I never get nightmares). This is The Soul Collector This is apparently a true story, and it gave me the total creeps. When I say nightmares, I mean waking up in a cold sweat thinking there are Demons in the room. I shook with fear! Read it at your own risk!

Funko’s are usually priced between $9.99 and 12.99, although larger one’s can be more expensive. These are a few of the one’s that I have collected over the last two years. Freddie is my favorite! (Though Rowens Ghost is a close second.

This has turned out to be a long post. I hope you have enjoyed it, and hopefully have discovered some new ideas to make your own Halloween rock! there are still a ton of things that I’d love to share with you, and if I find time in the next couple of days, I’ll add another post showing my collection of Tarot cards. I collect so many and I’d love to share some of them with you.

So until next time, thanks for reading. If I don’t talk to you before..Have a happy and safe Halloween xxx